Coal to Culture: The Electric History of East Perth Power Station

Sun 07 Dec 2025

Built to power our city; reborn to power your summer. Discover how a century-old landmark went from generating electricity to generating unforgettable nights.

East Perth Power Station helped light Perth’s homes, streets and stories. Its riverside site was no accident: rail delivered fuel, the Swan River provided cooling water, and the city’s needs kept growing. Through upgrades, conversions and expansions, the station worked for decades before falling silent in 1981 - later recognised as a place of State heritage. Today it’s a new kind of epicentre, fuelling the city’s growing need for culture and excitement.

Initial East Perth ‘A’ Station development, 1919. Image: Western Power Photos (via Engineers Australia).

1913 - 16

Construction begins; first units spark to life and Perth’s grid grows rapidly.

Control Room, 1927. Image: Western Power Photos (via Engineers Australia).

1920s - 50s

More generators, more demand; the skyline and the city change.

1968

Brief switch from coal to oil, then back.

1981

Turbines stop.

Turbo-alternators, A & B Stations. Image: Peter Lowe, East Perth Power Station work photos (via Engineers Australia).

2016

Heritage listing protects the building.

Today

For the first time in decades, the riverfront has reopened for people to gather, listen and celebrate. East Perth Power Station is now a festival hub: live music by the water, headline nights under the stars, and projection works that turn its historic brick and steel into a living canvas.